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Abstract:

A guide tube for tattoo machine needles has a through hole slidingly
engaged, in use, by a rod, which carries the needles; the tube has at
least one slot, which is transversal to the axis of the hole to reach
beyond said longitudinal axis; in use, an elastic band is provided in the
slot to come in contact against a zone of the rod and radially force the
rod and/or the needles against a surface of the hole close to the outlet
of the hole.

Claims:

1. An apparatus comprising: a guide tube for tattoo machine needles, the
guide tube having a through hole, which extends along a longitudinal axis
and is engaged, in use, by an axially sliding rod which carries said
needles; at least one slot, which is transversal to said longitudinal
axis and intersects said axial through hole to reach beyond said
longitudinal axis; at least one elastic band being provided in said slot
when the apparatus is in use to come in contact against a zone of said
rod and force said rod and/or said needles against a surface of said
axial through hole close to the outlet of the axial through hole.

2. A tube according to claim 1, wherein said slot widens out at the
bottom so as to define a cavity for accommodating and/or retaining said
elastic band.

3. A tube according to claim 2, wherein, in side view, said cavity has a
substantially L-shaped profile.

4. A tube according to claim 1, wherein said slot is longitudinally
delimited by two flanks sunken about the hole so as to form respective
recesses.

5. A tube according to claim 1, comprising positioning means arranged on
an external side surface of said guide tube and/or on an inner face of
said slot.

6. A tube according to claim 5, wherein said positioning means are
configured so as to longitudinally adjust the position of a portion of
the elastic band.

7. A tube according to claim 6, wherein said positioning means comprise a
series of notches or grooves.

8. A tube according to claim 1, characterized by having at least two
slots longitudinally spaced from each other.

9. A tube according to claim 8, wherein said slots have respective inlets
made on parts diametrically opposite to one another.

10. A tube according to claim 1, wherein the inlet edges of said slot
comprise respective concave zones, facing each other and defining a
widened central zone therebetween.

Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a guide tube for tattoo machine
needles.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] As known, tattoo machines have a plurality of needles fixed to the
end of a supporting rod, which is actuated by an actuating device so as
to longitudinally translate with reciprocating motion.

[0005] The supporting rod axially extends through a tube comprising a tang
fixed to the machine, a tip, from which the needles protrude, and an
intermediate gripping portion, which has a diameter normally larger than
that of the tip and of the tang. The tang, the tip and the gripping
portion may form a single part or be formed by two or more different
parts.

[0006] The coupling between the tube and the supporting rod, in general,
has a given radial clearance, which causes translation inaccuracies, and
thus undesired oscillations of the needles in transversal direction. In
order to maintain the motion of the needles rectilinear, it is known to
exert a force in direction transversal to the supporting rod end which
protrudes from the tank, i.e., on the opposite end of the needles. For
example, patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,242 teaches to use an elastic band to
obtain such a transversal forcing.

[0007] Such a solution is not completely satisfactory, because the needles
are distanced from the point in which the elastic band exerts its
withholding force, and consequently such a force is not sufficient to
stop the transversal oscillation of the needles.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0008] One object of the present invention to provide a guide tube for
tattoo machine needles, which allows to simply and cost-effectively
provide more accurate movement of the tattoo needle the problem
illustrated above, and which is preferably easy to use.

[0009] According to the present invention, a guide tube for tattoo machine
needles, as defined in claim 1, is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention will now be described with reference to the appended
drawings which illustrate a non-limitative embodiment thereof, in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the
guide tube for tattoo machine needles according to the present invention;

[0012] FIGS. from 2 to 8 show respective variants of the tube in FIG. 1;

[0017] In FIGS. 1 and 9, numeral 1 indicates as a whole a guide tube for
the needles 2 of a tattoo machine (not shown).

[0018] The needles 2 are fixed, for example, by means of welding, to the
end of a front portion 9 of a supporting rod 4, which extends along a
rectilinear axis 5. The opposite end is defined by a coupling portion 6,
in particular a portion folded as a ring. In the tattoo machine, the
portion 6 is coupled in a known manner (not shown) to an actuating
device, which translates the rod 4 and thus the needles 2, with
reciprocating, rectilinear motion along the axis 5.

[0019] The portion 9 engages with clearance a through axial hole 10 of the
tube 1. A rear portion 11 of the rod 4 axially protrudes from the tube 1
and ends with portion 6.

[0020] The tube 1 comprises a tip 13, which accommodates the needles 2 and
the end of portion 9. The tips of the needles 2 protrude from the tube 1
through a frontal outlet 16 of the hole 10. The tip 13 has a side opening
18, which may either communicate with the outlet 16 or not, and which is
used to rinse ink from the end of the tip 13.

[0021] The tube 1 comprises a tang 19, opposite to the tip 13 and adapted
to be fixed to the tattoo machine. The tube 1 then comprises an
intermediate portion 20, which is a gripping portion having a diameter
larger than those of the tip 13 and of the tang 19. The tip 13, the
portion 20 and the tang 19 may be made of either plastic and/or metallic
material. Furthermore, they may either be made in one piece or belong to
separate pieces fixed to one another. These features related to the
construction and the material of the tattoo machine tubes are generally
known to a person skilled in the art and therefore will not be described
in further detail.

[0022] The tube 1 has at least one slot 21, which is transversal to the
axis 5, which extends from the top downwards beyond half of the tube 1,
i.e., beyond axis 5, so as to intersect the hole 10 so that an elastic
band 27 can come into contact with a zone 22 of portion 9 (FIG. 9). "Top"
is the direction of the side opening 18.

[0023] The slot 21 is longitudinally defined by two flanks 23, which face
one another and are joined at the bottom of the slot 21 by a joint. In
side view, the flanks 23 may be either parallel or converge towards the
bottom of the slot 21, so as to have a V-shaped side profile (as shown,
for example, in the variants in FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0024] Preferably, the elastic band 27 is of annular type and fitted about
the tube 1. The elastic band 27 thus comprises: a portion 29 arranged
resting on an outer side surface 30 of the tube 1, which is in this case
downwards, i.e., diametrically opposite to the inlet of the slot 21; and
a portion 28 accommodated in the slot 21 and resting against the tube 1
in two zones 25, on opposite sides of the hole 10 at the bottom of the
slot 21.

[0025] By virtue of the elastic band 27, the portion 28 presses zone 22
downwards so that the end of the portion 9 and/or the needles 2 slide in
contact with the surface of the hole 10 near the outlet 16. In this
manner, oscillations or transversal waving of the tips of the needles 2
are limited.

[0026] According to the variant shown in FIG. 8, the longitudinal size of
the slot 21 increases near the zones 25, so as to define a cavity 31
which radially withholds the portion 28 and confers the freedom of
oscillating in reciprocating motion to the portion 28 together with the
rod 4. In this manner, the sliding of the elastic band 27 on the rod 4 is
low, and consequently the life of the elastic band 27 increases.

[0027] The variant in FIG. 10 substantially performs the same function:
the flanks 23 are sunken so as to form respective recesses 32 about the
hole 10.

[0028] At least two axially distanced slots 21 are provided in the variant
in FIG. 2. Preferably, the inlets of the two slots 21 are made on
diametrically opposite parts of axis 5. The front slot 21 exerts an
elastic downwards force for pushing the needles 2 down towards the edge
of the outlet 16; the rear elastic band (i.e., near the tang 19) exerts
an upward force for stabilizing the rod 4 and does not pass much beyond
axis 5.

[0029] In the variant in FIG. 3, the inlets of the two slots 21 are made
on the same side as the axis 5 (i.e., upwards) and are associated to a
single, same elastic band 27. The elastic band 27, in this case,
comprises: two portions 28a which respectively engage the slots 21; and a
portion 29a which crosses and is arranged in contact with the surface 30,
centrally between the slots 21. In order to arrange the portion 29a in a
predetermined portion, the surface 30 has a corresponding cross-shaped
notch or groove 35 which is engaged by the portion 29a.

[0030] The slots 21 widened out longitudinally at the bottom to define
respective cavities 31a having L-profile in side view. The cavities 31a
radially withhold the portions 28a engaged on the bottom of the slots 21,
in addition to leaving a given freedom of movement or deformation to the
portions 28a in longitudinal direction.

[0031] In the variant of FIG. 4, the surface 30 has a plurality of
positioning and traction notches 36, which are distanced longitudinally
from one another and may be selectively engaged by the portion 29 so a to
position the portion 29 itself and confer more or less tension to the
elastic band 27. Calibrating the tension is appropriate for finding the
right compromise between forcing the rod 4 and/or the needles 2 against
the surface of the hole 10 (to prevent transversal oscillations of the
needles 4) and, at the same time, limiting friction in the tube 1.

[0032] According to the variant in FIG. 5, the portion 29 extends in
contact with an outer surface 30a provided with at least one recess 37:
the portion 29 remains distanced from the bottom of the recess 37. In
this manner, a finger may be inserted in the recess 37 to grip the
portion 29 when either inserting or extracting the elastic 27.

[0033] The variant of the FIGS. 6 and 11 tends to make the elastic band
more robust in the area which couples with zone 22 of the portion 9 and
which could be subjected to friction. Indeed, an elastic band 27a is
provided comprising a widened portion 28b with respect to the remaining
parts. The portion 28b, in particular, is drop-shaped. Correspondingly,
the two edges at the inlet of the slot 21 have a central portion 40 which
is concave so as to delimit a widened opening, in order to easily insert
the portion 28b of the slot 21. In FIG. 6 this type of elastic is applied
to the tip 13, but could be applied to the portion 20 and/or to the tang
19.

[0034] As just mentioned, and as apparent in the attached figures, the
slots 21 can be made on any part of the tube 1. When the slot 21 is made
on the tip 13 or on the tang 19, the portion 29 of the elastic band 27
may rest on the tip itself 13 (FIGS. from 17 to 20) or, respectively, on
the same tang 19 (in manner not shown); or, as shown in the variant in
FIG. 7, the portion 29 may rest on the portion 20, by virtue of at least
one positioning notch 36. In the case of FIG. 7, in order to prevent the
elastic band 27 from causing problems to the hands for gripping, the
notches or grooves 36 could be deeper (without intersecting the hole 10)
so as to sink and conceal portion 29 in the tube 1. Obviously, the slot
21 could be in portion 20, and the notches 36 on the tip 13 and/or on the
tang 19.

[0035]FIG. 12 is a variant of FIGS. 6 and 11: the tip 13 comprises a
cylindrical end portion 43a inserted in the portion 20 in manner not
shown and an intermediate portion 43b defined by a thicker wall, which
axially comes into contact with the portion 20 and joins with the surface
30, so as to improve the gripping of the tube 1 and to consolidate the
zone in which the slot 21 is obtained. The intermediate portion 43b also
has positioning and traction notches 36b made on a lower surface 30b,
i.e., opposite to the inlet of the slot 21. The same principle is applied
to the tang 19.

[0036] The two variants shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 show how the elastic band
27 may be coupled to two pegs 44 (only one of which is visible), which
protrude from the surface 30 or define part of the zones 25 respectively.
Alternatively, an open elongated, i.e., not annular, elastic band may be
used, with a rectilinear intermediate portion engaging the slot 21 and
two ends 46 provided with holes adapted to be engaged by the pegs 44
(FIG. 16). Possibly, the elastic band 45 may be provided with a widened
drop-shaped central portion 48 (FIG. 15), similar to portion 28b. Several
pairs of pegs may be provided arranged along the surface 30 in order to
vary the tension.

[0037] In the two variants shown in FIGS. from 17 to 20, the slot 21 is
made on the end of the tip 13, i.e., near the outlet 16 and/or in the
opening 18, to that the elastic band 27 can act directly on the needles
and/or on the end of the portion 9.

[0038] FIGS. 21 and 22 show a side, perspective view of a variant similar
to that shown in FIG. 8: in particular, the cavity 31 is wider than that
shown in FIG. 8.

[0039] FIGS. 23 and 24 show two additional shapes with respect to the
conformation shown in FIG. 4: the notches 36 for a portion 29 of the
elastic band 27 are made on a surface adjacent to the inlet of the notch
21. Furthermore, on the bottom, the slot 21 defines two teeth 49 which
withhold the elastic band 27 in the cavity 31a. In the case of FIG. 23,
the slot 21 is made from the bottom upwards, and the portion 28 of the
elastic band 27 is arranged radially between the rod 4 and the bottom of
the slot 21, and therefore the elastic band 27 pulls the portion 9 of the
rod 4 downwards.

[0040] In the case of FIG. 24, the slot 21 is made from the top downwards
and the portion 28 of the elastic band 27 "pushes" the portion 9 of the
rod 4 radially downwards.

[0041] In the variant of FIGS. 25 and 26, the slot 21 has an L-shaped
profile with a substantially radial portion 21a and a substantially
longitudinal portion 21b. The portion 21b has a series of notches or
grooves 36a, preferably made both on the upper face and on the lower
face. The notches 36a prevent the portion 28 of the elastic band 27 from
going back towards portion 21a. Portion 21b is slightly inclined with
respect to axis 5 so as to increase the depth thereof in the hole 10
under the axis 5: in this manner, the tension may be adjusted by moving
the portion 28 of the elastic band 27 forwards and backwards between the
notches 36a.

[0042] The elastic 27 may be inserted in two different configurations,
i.e., with the portion 28 which either "pushes" or "pulls" downwards.

[0043] FIGS. 27 and 28 show a variant of FIG. 3. The elastic band 27 is
inserted in one of the slots 21 without interacting with the surface 30,
but only passing through the bottom of the slots 21 themselves. FIG. 29
then shows a different shape of the slots 21.

[0044] In use, the elastic band 27 cooperates with the surface of the hole
10 to effectively guide the rod 4 in its reciprocating motion. Indeed,
the elastic band 27 radially acts on the rod 4 in a zone which is close
to the tip of the needles 2, and with a forcing that tends to maintain
the needles 2 downwards in contact with the surface of the hole 10 at the
outlet 16. Therefore, the elastic band 27 can effectively limit the
oscillations or waving of the needles 2 in transversal direction.

[0045] Other specific advantages of the invention related for example to
ease of use and operation efficacy are apparent from the features
described above and shown in the appended drawings.

[0046] Finally, from the above, it is apparent that changes and variations
can be made to the described tube 1 without departing from the scope of
protection of the present invention, as disclosed in the accompanying
claims.

[0047] The slot 21 may be thin or wide in order to be able to handle the
elastic band 27 inside with one's fingers or to be able to insert more
elastic bands.

[0048] In particular, the size, shape and number of the elastic bands may
be different from those shown by way of example; and/or different
elasticity may be provided, e.g., soft, medium and hard elastic bands;
and/or the reinforcement portion 28b may be other than drop-shaped.

[0049] The notches or grooves may be replaced by another positioning
system.

[0050] The intermediate portion of the tube 1 could have a diameter equal
to that of the tang and/or of the tip (e.g., the diameter of the tube
could remain substantially constant for the entire or nearly the entire
width thereof).

[0051] As mentioned for FIG. 7, the outer surface of the tube 1 may have a
groove for entirely accommodating the portion 29 and preventing the
elastic band 27 from hindering the gripping of the hand. Furthermore, the
zones of the tube 1 in contact with the elastic band 27 should be
rounded.

[0052] The portion 6 of the rod 4 could have different shape or size in
order to be coupled to different types of tattoo machines; similarly, the
shape and size of the tang 19 could vary according to the kind of
coupling to the tattoo machine.

[0053] The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide
further embodiments. All of the U.S. patents, U.S. patent application
publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent
applications and non-patent publications referred to in this
specification and/or listed in the Application Data Sheet are
incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety. Aspects of the
embodiments can be modified, if necessary to employ concepts of the
various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further
embodiments.

[0054] These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of
the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the
terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific
embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be
construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope
of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims
are not limited by the disclosure.